Anthurium plant named ‘Gentle Love’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant named ‘Gentle Love’, characterized by its upright and outwardly spreading plant habit; freely clumping growth habit; durable dark green leaves; red and green bi-colored spathes with whitish-colored spadices that are positioned slightly above and beyond the foliage on strong and erect scapes; freely flowering habit; and good inflorescence longevity.

Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Anthurium andreanum cultivar Gentle Love.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant, botanically known as Anthurium andreanum, and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Gentle Love’.

The new Anthurium is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Schipluiden, The Netherlands. The objective of the program is to create and develop new compact, freely clumping and freely flowering Anthurium cultivars with strong roots, dark green leaves, attractive spathe color, and good inflorescence longevity.

The new Anthurium originated from a cross by the Inventor on Apr. 28, 1998 of a proprietary selection of Anthurium andreanum identified as code number 9603, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Anthurium andreanum identified as code number 9026, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The cultivar Gentle Love was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in a controlled environment in Schipluiden, The Netherlands in May, 2000.

Asexual propagation of the new cultivar by meristem culture in a laboratory in Belgium since May, 2000, has shown that the unique features of this new Anthurium plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations of asexual propagation.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The new Anthurium has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of the cultivar Gentle Love These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Gentle Love’ as a new and distinct cultivar.

1. Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit.

2. Freely clumping growth habit.

3. Durable dark green leaves.

4. Red and green bi-colored spathes with whitish-colored spadices that are positioned slightly above and beyond the foliage on strong and erect scapes.

5. Freely flowering habit.

6. Good inflorescence longevity.

Plants of the new Anthurium can be compared to plants of the female parent, the proprietary selection identified as code number 9603. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differed from plants of the selection 9603 in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Anthurium were not as bushy or dense as plants of the selection 9603.

2. Plants of the new Anthurium and the selection 9603 differed in spathe coloration as plants of the selection 9603 had pink-colored spathes.

Plants of the new Anthurium can be compared to plants of the male parent, the selection 9026. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differed primarily from plants of the selection 9026 in spathe coloration as plants of the selection 9026 had white-colored spathes.

Plants of the new Anthurium can be compared to plants of the cultivar Sugar Love, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 10,998. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, plants of the new Anthurium differed from plants of the cultivar Sugar Love in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Anthurium were not as bushy and dense as plants of the cultivar Sugar Love.

2. Plants of the new Anthurium had flatter and darker green-colored leaves than plants of the cultivar Sugar Love.

3. Spathes of plants of the new Anthurium were darker red in color than spathes of plants of the cultivar Sugar Love.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Anthurium, showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Anthurium.

The photograph on the first sheet comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of the cultivar Gentle Love.

The photograph on the second sheet comprises a close-up view of typical inflorescences of ‘Gentle Love’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used. The aforementioned photographs and the following observations and measurements describe 10-month old plants grown in 14-cm containers in Schipluiden, The Netherlands, in a glass-covered greenhouse with average day temperatures of 23° C., average night temperatures of 21° C. and light levels about 6 kilolux.

Botanical classification: Anthurium andreanum cultivar Gentle Love.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Proprietary selection of Anthurium andreanum identified as code number 9603, not patented.

Male parent.—Proprietary selection of Anthurium andreanum identified as code number 9026, not patented.

Propagation:

Method.—By meristem culture.

Time to initiate roots on a meristem-cultured plant.—About 28 days at 20 to 24° C.

Time to develop roots on a meristem-cultured plant.—About 270 days at 20 to 24° C.

Root description.—Thick, fleshy, dark pink to cream-colored; lateral roots, thick and abundant.

Plant Description:

Plant shape.—Upright and outwardly spreading plant habit, inverted triangle, symmetrical.

Growth habit.—Freely clumping, bushy and dense growth habit; about seven clumps per plant. Appropriate for 14-cm containers; moderately vigorous.

Plant height, from soil level to top of leaf plane.—About 31 cm.

Plant height, from soil level to top of inflorescences.—About 38 cm.

Plant diameter or spread.—About 39 cm.

Crop time.—About ten months are usually required from planting of young plants to finished plants in a 14-cm container.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Alternate; simple. Quantity per plant: About 35. Length: About 14.9 cm. Width: About 9.7 cm. Shape: Deltoid. Apex: Apiculate. Base: Cordate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Leathery; glabrous, smooth; durable. Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing leaves, upper surface: Darker than 146A. Developing leaves, lower surface: 148A. Fully developed leaves, upper surface: Between 147A and 139A. Fully developed leaves, lower surface: 146A to 146B. Venation, upper and lower surfaces: 143C. Petiole: Length: About 22.2 cm. Diameter, just below geniculum: About 3.5 mm. Diameter, at plant base: About 5 mm. Texture, Smooth, glabrous. Color: 144A to 146B. Geniculum length: About 2.2 cm. Geniculum diameter: About 4 mm. Geniculum color: 144A. Wing length: About 2.1 cm. Wing diameter: About 4 mm. Wing color: 181B to 176B.

Inflorescence description:

Inflorescence arrangement.—Spathes with spadices held slightly above and beyond the foliage. Flowering structures arise from leaf axils. Freely and continuous flowering during the autumn in Schipluiden, The Netherlands. Typically about nine inflorescences per plant. Infloresences not fragrant.

Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two months under winter conditions and about three months under summer conditions; inflorescences persistent.

Spathe.—Length: About 8.5 cm. Width: About 8.3 cm. Shape: Reniform with cordate tendencies. Apex: Abruptly acute to mucronulate. Base: Cordate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Leathery; glabrous, smooth. Aspect: Cupped. Color: When opening, front surface: Between 46A and 47A; towards the basal margins, 144A. When opening back surface: 47D; towards the basal margins, 147C. Fully developed, front surface: 47B; towards the basal margins, 143A to 143B. With development, central region and venation, 53C; towards the margins, 144A to 146B.

Fully opened, back surface: 47D to 48C; towards the basal margins, 144B.

Spadix.—Length: About 5.4 cm. Diameter: About 8 mm. Shape: Columnar, tapering towards the apex; apex, obtuse. Cross section: Rounded. Aspect: About 10° from vertical. Color: Immature: 4C; towards the apex, 1C. Mature: 158A; towards the apex, 19A.

Flowers.—Quantity per spadix: Numerous, about 350. Shape: Rounded. Height: Less than 0.5 mm. Diameter: About 0.8 mm.

Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Anther color: 11D. Amount of pollen: Scarce. Pollen color: 11C. Gynoecium: Stigma shape: Ovoid. Stigma color: N155D. Ovary color: N155D.

Scape.—Length: About 27.4 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect: Erect to slightly outwardly slanted to about 30° from vertical. Color: 144B.

Seed and fruit.—Seed and fruit development has not been observed on plants of the new Anthurium.

Disease/pest resistance: Under commercial production conditions, plants of the new Anthurium have not been observed to be resistant to pathogens or pests common to Anthurium.

Temperature toleeance: Plants of the new Anthurium have been observed to tolerate temperature from about 14 to 36° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Anthurium plant named ‘Gentle Love’, as illustrated and described. 